1. Field
The present invention relates to a network system and, more particularly, to a network facsimile apparatus and method capable of relaying information.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been developed a network facsimile machine which is capable of communicating with both data terminals and facsimile machines. Such a network facsimile machine can exchange not only xe2x80x9ccomputer informationxe2x80x9d such as E-mail (electronic mail) with data terminals on computer networks, including LANs (local area networks), WANs (wide area networks), the Internet, and so forth, but also xe2x80x9cfacsimile informationxe2x80x9d with ordinary facsimile machines using a standard facsimile communications procedure via a telephone line network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN).
It would be useful to provide an effective and efficient system for relaying information and, more particularly, to provide an effective and efficient information relay service which allows users to send E-mail, for example, from a data terminal to a facsimile machine, and/or facsimile information from a facsimile machine to a data terminal, via the network facsimile machine.
It would be useful to provide an electronic communications system that can employ a plurality of the above-mentioned network facsimile apparatuses and provide a multi-step relay operation in which image information is relayed from a relay request station (a network facsimile apparatus) to a destination data terminal via one or more relay stations (network facsimile apparatuses) . This would make communications largely flexible in the above-mentioned electronic communications system.
It would also be useful to provide a relay request station with an appropriate method for making sure that the relay operation has been performed successfully.
The present application provides a network facsimile apparatus that can be coupled to a local area network and a telephone network. In one embodiment, a network facsimile apparatus includes a first communications mechanism for the local area network, a second communications mechanism for the telephone network, and a relay controller. The relay controller determines whether the network facsimile apparatus receives image information with a relay request from a relay request station, and selects one of the first and second communications mechanisms in accordance with address information of a next relay station, or a destination station when the address information for the next relay station is nil, which is designated by the relay request station. Further, the relay controller generates electronic mail in which the image information and address information of the relay request station are included in contents and a header thereof, respectively, and sends the E-mail to the next relay station, or the destination station, with one of the first and second communications mechanism selected.
The relay controller may generate the electronic mail in which the address information of the relay request station is included in a xe2x80x9cfromxe2x80x9d field of the header of the electronic mail.
The relay controller may generate the electronic mail in which the address information of the relay request station is included in a xe2x80x9creply toxe2x80x9d field of the header of the electronic mail.
The relay controller may generate the electronic mail in which the address information of the relay request station is included in the contents of the electronic mail.
The relay controller may generate the electronic mail in which the address information of the relay request station is coupled with an identifier and is included in the contents of the electronic mail.
The second communications mechanism may perform a communications operation through a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.
The telephone network may be a public switched telephone network.
The present application also provides a method that provides address information of a relay request station in an information relay operation. In one example, the method includes two providing steps and the steps of determining, selecting, generating, and sending. The first providing step provides a first communications mechanism exchanging information with other data terminals on the local area network. The second providing step provides a second communications mechanism exchanging information with facsimile terminals on the telephone network. The determining step determines whether the data terminal apparatus receives image information with a relay request from the relay request station.
The selecting step selects one of the first and second communications mechanism in accordance with address information of a next relay station, or a destination station when the address information for the next relay station is nil, which is designated by the relay request station. The generating step generates electronic mail in which the image information and address information of the relay request station are included in contents and a header thereof, respectively. The sending step sends the electronic mail to the next relay station, or the destination station, with one of the first and second communications mechanism selected.
The present application also provides an electronic communications system which includes a plurality of data terminal apparatuses, each of which is coupled to a local area network and to a telephone network. In one system, each of network facsimile apparatuses includes a first communications mechanism for the local area network, a second communications mechanism for the telephone network, and a relay controller. The relay controller determines whether the network facsimile apparatus receives image information with a relay request from a relay request station, and selects one of the first and second communications mechanisms in accordance with address information of a next relay station, or a destination station when the address information for the next relay station is nil, which is designated by the relay request station. Further, the relay controller generates electronic mail in which the image information and address information of the relay request station are included in contents and a header thereof, respectively, and sends the E-mail to the next relay station, or the destination station, with one of the first and second communications mechanism selected.